BELMONT – For much of Belmont Abbey College’s athletic history, the school’s athletic directors have also coached at least one if not many sports.On Wednesday, the Crusaders went “Back to the Future” on that tradition by naming men’s basketball coach Stephen Miss as their 20th athletic director.

Miss becomes the first Abbey athletic director who also will have coaching duties since Eliane Kebbe retired as women’s basketball coach after the 2000-01 season.

“I’m humbled and privileged to have the opportunity,” said Miss, who has spent eight years on the Crusaders’ coaching staff, including the last five as men’s basketball coach. “It’s a tremendous challenge and I’m grateful to (president) Dr. (William K.) Thierfelder and Abbot Placid for this opportunity.”

Miss becomes the Abbey’s sixth athletic director in the past eight years and replaces Quin Monahan, who departs Sept. 7 for the same position at USC-Beaufort. Monahan has been Abbey athletic director the past two years.

“I feel very strongly that this department is in better shape today than it was two years ago,” Miss said. “And that’s a tribute to Mr. Monahan’s leadership. I’m happy he’ll be here for another week to be able to work side-by-side with him.”

Miss inherits an athletic department with 19 varsity sports, including first-year men’s volleyball that begins in January. Currently, the Crusaders have coaching vacancies in softball and men’s and women’s golf.

“My charge will be in continuing the progress that’s been made here,” said Miss, whose athletic program has added nine programs in the past eight years and last season won the Conference Carolinas overall Messick Award for sportsmanship last school year. “We want to continue to foster virtue through sports.”

Miss, who has guided the Crusaders to an 80-61 record in his five years as head coach, is a 1992 graduate of the University of North Carolina, with master’s degrees from the University of Georgia (1996) and Trinity College, Dublin (1997).

Prior to coming to the Abbey, Miss was an assistant coach at Georgia (1998-2003) and at Towson (2003-04).

Miss’ wife Angela is the chair of the English Department and director of the Rhetoric and Writing program at the Abbey and they are the parents of an 8-year-old daughter (Abigail Grace) and 5-year-old son (Stephen Patrick Mitchell).

“As the new athletic director, Stephen Miss will do an exceptional job of building on all the good work of those who have come before him,” Thierfelder said in a school news release. “His model of excellence and virtue has been an integral part of the education, formation and preparation of our student-athletes. In addition to his head coaching experience, his advanced degrees in the humanities will help ensure that our students are world-class performers both inside and outside of the classroom.”